COMPASS-AI Project Launches to Advance Safe and Effective AI Integration in European Healthcare

The COMPASS-AI consortium, in collaboration with the European Commission, has announced the official launch of the COMPASS-AI Project, titled “Community Of Multidisciplinary Professionals Advancing Safe and Successful AI Implementation in Clinical Practice.” This flagship initiative, part of the EU’s Apply AI Strategy, aims to accelerate the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence in clinical environments, ultimately benefiting patients and citizens across Europe.

The four-year project, co-funded through the EU4Health programme, focuses on applying best practices for AI deployment in healthcare by developing scalable and equitable solutions. Special attention will be given to cancer care and to supporting healthcare delivery in remote regions.

COMPASS-AI will establish a multidisciplinary network of experts, including healthcare professionals, patient representatives, AI developers, IT specialists, hospital managers, ethicists, regulators, economists, and policymakers. This community will work together to identify key challenges, enablers, and actionable strategies for successfully integrating AI into healthcare systems.

The project’s central goal is to create evidence-based guidelines for AI deployment throughout Europe. These guidelines will be tested through four pilot studies conducted in diverse healthcare environments across multiple European countries. The pilot areas will include radiology, pathology, surgery, and both hospital and general practice settings.

In addition to developing guidelines, COMPASS-AI will build a sustainable digital platform to share best practices, support collaboration, and deliver education programs. The platform will be tailored to the needs of various stakeholders, aiming to enhance AI literacy and promote knowledge exchange across disciplines.

The COMPASS-AI Project is coordinated by the Maastricht University Medical Center, with scientific coordination shared by the Netherlands Cancer Institute. The European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR) serves as the lead partner responsible for management and dissemination.

“We are honoured to lead this flagship project that will deliver the foundations for exchanging best practices and speed up safe, scalable and equitable AI deployment in healthcare across Europe,” said Prof. Regina Beets-Tan and Dr. Laurens Topff, Scientific Coordinators of the project, during the kick-off meeting.

COMPASS-AI builds on the existing FUTURE-AI framework for trustworthy AI in healthcare and aligns with the EU’s Apply AI Strategy and broader European digital health legislation. This alignment reinforces the project’s strategic importance in promoting responsible and effective health innovation across the continent.

“The European Commission welcomes the launch of COMPASS-AI, one of the flagship projects underpinning the Apply AI Strategy published on 10 October 2025. COMPASS-AI will support the safe, efficient and effective integration of artificial intelligence into clinical practice, delivering tangible benefits for patients across Europe,” said Yiannos Tolias, legal lead on AI and AI liability in Healthcare at the European Commission DG SANTE.

The project will also align with Cancer Image Europe, leveraging its infrastructure and expertise in interoperability and data sharing to facilitate AI implementation and deployment in clinical environments across Europe.